Roe v. Wade, Then v. Now

Thirty Years in the Life of the American Woman

Three decades ago this week, when the Supreme Court made abortion a right instead of a cause of death, women still couldn't get credit cards in their own names, never mind call themselves "Ms.," and the old salts at McSorley's were just getting used to sharing bar stools with the womenfolk. There were no female senators, one commercial airline pilot, and two FBI agents. Sarah Weddington, the young attorney who argued Roe v. Wade, learned of her January 22, 1973, victory from a reporter. She was notified officially by telegramcollect. We've come a long way, sort of . . .

A QUESTION OF ACCESS

photo: Fred W. McDarrah

New York City, 1970: demonstrating for reproductive freedom

Age at which attorney Sarah Weddington began working on Roe v. Wade, in 1971: 26

Number of women's rest rooms in the Supreme Court lawyers' lounge then: 0

Number of psychological evaluations California required before 1973 to prove a woman's incapacity to bear a child and thus sanction an abortion: 2

Percentage of U.S. counties without an abortion provider in 1973: 84

Percentage without a provider today: 87

Number of abortion-related deaths in 1965: 200

Number in 1973: 48

Percentage of women having abortions in 1973 who were already mothers: 45

Percentage now: 60

Inflation-adjusted cost of an abortion in 1973: $350

Cost today: $375

Years after Roe v. Wade that Congress cut Medicaid funding for abortion: 3